By April Sliwak | Founder of Her Life Speaks

Happy New Year! My prayer is that you will move forward in 2024 with a new perspective and vision of what you want your health, family, relationships and devotion to the Lord will look like. Turning the calendar to a new year can mean a fresh start, a move, courage to change, self-care, hobbies and so much more. For me, it’s all of the above.

During my sabbatical, the Lord gave me the gift of reflecting on where I am in this season of my life without any distractions or responsibilities and to accomplish some things that lead me to what’s next:

What Happened:

• After two years of my mother JoAnn Kaloustian’s passing,

1941 - 2021, I was finally able to sit “with her” by reading her letters and personal items and remembering what a kind, compassionate, just, and generous woman she was. My mom, “Yaya'', known by her grandchildren and anyone who read her license plate, loved the Lord with a child’s faith. 

The numerous sentiments she received dating back to 1959 in her recovered Thank You letters, were evidence of my mother’s legacy. My mom was an incredibly faithful prayer warrior, she was loyal and loving to her family and church, a gracious leader, and certainly forgiving. My sabbatical gave me sweet uninterrupted time to reflect on who she was as a young woman, wife, Human Resource Director, church leader, mom, friend, sister, aunt and a Yaya. I thought about her time here on earth, and how she influenced and changed the lives of so many people. 

I thought about her story and started to evaluate my own. God showed me in real time how He’s positioned us here for a short season of history, and the opportunities to love God and others through forgiveness, kindness and being intentional as my mom did. 

• I considered the life of C.S. Lewis and what he offered to this world while he was here from 1889 to 1963. The Life and Timeline of CS Lewis While he lived each day of his life at his residence in Risinghurst, Oxford, England, The Kilns, he studied, taught, wrote and had a great community of thought-provoking friends which all produced a legacy of the great stories and movies of today. As a Believer in Christ, he attended a beautifully small quaint church where he worshiped the Lord. ​

CS Lewis’ story also reveals how a committed circle of loyal friends is crucial to navigating life. God doesn’t want us to be isolated. He commands us to the “one anothers” written in the Bible:

What are the One Anothers?

​The Lord showed me again about how the calling on a person’s life, while here on earth, can be powerful and change lives.

• A few weeks after war broke out on October 7, I experienced 30 minutes of fear as my family and I were being evacuated from a building due to a bomb threat. It felt like forever before we exited the building and as I walked through the “valley of the shadow of death”, I realized that we might actually die at any moment. My mind went to two things: First, my breath prayers; I wanted my family, and me, to hear the comforting and peaceful truths of God as we were nervously walking out of the building. Second, my thoughts went to what value I brought to the world. Did I love the Lord enough? What did I do for others? Myself? Did I give in thought, word or deed? Did I forgive? 

Basically, did I love the Lord with all my heart, soul and strength, and did I love others and myself? Luke 10:27

What did I do with my life?!!

What will our legacy look like? This, in my opinion, IS the question to contemplate and seek out everyday because each moment becomes a lifetime, (until God takes it), and that, my friends, will be our legacy. I saw that clearly in my sabbatical.

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:14b

Let’s not miss our opportunity to make a difference wherever God has placed us. Let’s be that light to others. Let’s not say no, someone else will do it, or watch from our couches, or just complain. Let’s take action, show God’s love and leave legacy as so many did before us in the Bible, like Jesus.

Please don’t misunderstand me, legacy doesn’t mean it has to look like a famous author and scholar, no. It can look like writing notes of encouragement, picking up the Bibles around the pews, praying, offering a friend a space to be heard, attending a Bible study, reading a daily devotional, or attending a worship service, shoveling someone’s snow, giving someone a ride, standing up for justice, offering grace, going to jury duty, forgiveness, or giving, (sacrificially), from your means. Loving yourself is taking good care of yourself by setting boundaries, seeking counsel, forgiving yourself or someone else, asking for help, resting or not comparing.

Legacy is leaning into your gifts and talents to serve others while glorifying the Lord, to be Christlike.

Legacy is seen when we love the Lord, others and yourself. That’s what I know for sure through my experiences and people's stories while in my sabbatical.

Legacy will be the stories others share about you, read about you or mimic. 

Legacy can be found in your recipes, menus, pay stubs and venmo account. It can be seen through your (grand)children, Bible study attendees, and as a result of your devoted prayers.

Legacy is how we live our life today.

What’s New:

In my season of restoring the soul, contemplation, and gratitude, the Lord has led me into retirement as Executive Director of Her Life Speaks. 
It’s been an honor to serve the Lord through Her Life Speaks, (formally Oasis Ministries), for 15 years. I loved it. I believe the Lord used the ministry to touch the lives of thousands of families across the country.

The mission for Her Life Speaks is for women and girls to hear and know that Jesus loves them by sharing our faith stories and testimonies. 

By April Sliwak
Founder of Her Life Speaks and The Beauty Project
​
Wow! Praising the Lord for his grace, mercy and love over the The Beauty Project in Ocean Grove, NJ on April 29, 2023. It was super windy, rainy and chilly, but that didn’t stop God from receiving all the glory on his day to shine. And did He shine! The Youth Temple was a beam of light where girls, moms and young women gathered from NJ, PA, NY and CT. Women were drawn to a little square mile at the Jersey Shore to be encouraged about their Identity in Christ.

You are God’s Masterpiece Ephesians 2:10 was the theme scripture as we centered our planning and hopes for conviction and change for our future women leaders. Girls left empowered by knowing who God says they are and not what the “world” labels them as. Girls are created with gifts, talents and for God’s purposes. Hearing comes by faith and faith reminds us that we are girls and women who are worthy, loved and enough as God’s
heritage. We are created for God’s purpose in the places we’re planted.

Madi Prewett Troutt, our guest speaker, spoke eloquently about knowing and claiming who we are as God’s daughters and to let go of the lies we believe. While I passionately equipped moms and young women to love the Lord, others and themselves by using scriptures and stories from raising my daughters. The girls received a special treat as Lauren Caron challenged them to be intentional about having and choosing healthy
relationships. A double portion by worship leader, Vanessa Malinesi, as she shared her story and led the audience with truth in song.

The Lord is faithful and we saw him throughout the day shining his light.

We’re so thankful for all those who attended, our sponsors, the volunteers and especially the team of women who led The Beauty Project into fruition. They were each amazing, gracious and selfless in their service to the Lord.

On a personal note, I’m so humbled and grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to lead women into their giftedness, and to use my story as it interceded with God’s plans to gather in community so girls would hear and know that God loves them!

Were you there on that day?
I’d appreciate hearing your takeaways and inspirations from The Beauty
Project in the comments or by email: [email protected]